177 Typos in 200 Questions: 50th BCS Prelims Question Paper Riddled with Errors

The 50th BCS Preliminary Examination, held under the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC), has sparked widespread astonishment and criticism due to a massive influx of spelling errors. An investigation by The Daily Campus has identified at least 177 spelling mistakes within the question paper, in which the country's most competitive examination was conducted on Friday (January 30) morning.

Failure in Basic Grammar: The 'Murdhanya-N' Crisis

A glance at the question paper reveals that the paper setters seemed entirely unfamiliar with the letter Murdhanya-N (ণ). In almost every standard word requiring 'ণ', they used Dantya-N (ন).

The paper printed আচরণ as ‘আচরন’, পরিগণিত as ‘পরিগনিত’, গবেষণা as ‘গবেষনা’, সাধারণ as ‘সাধারন’, ধারণা as ‘ধারনা’, জনগণ as ‘জনগন’, উদাহরণ as ‘উদাহরন’, সম্প্রসারণ as ‘সম্প্রসারন’, বহুমুখীকরণ as ‘বহুমুখীকরন’, নিয়ন্ত্রণ as ‘নিয়ন্ত্রন’, অংশগ্রহণ as ‘অংশগ্রহন’, কারণ as ‘কারন’, সৎ গুণ as ‘সদগূন’, গ্রহণ as ‘গ্রহন’, মন্ত্রণালয় as ‘মন্ত্রনালয়’, নির্মাণ as ‘নির্মান’, পরিমাণ as ‘পরিমান’, and বর্ণ as ‘বর্ন’.

Extensive List of Errors

In an exam where candidates are required to master "Promit" (standard) spellings to qualify, such negligence is deemed unacceptable. Other identified errors include:

কোন্, নির্বাহি, হেনরী, প্রোটোকল, জালানী, জসীমউদ্দীনের, লংঘনের, শৃংখলার, রূপালী, বর্ণালী, a:c এর, সনাক্তের, কি, উচু, বাংগালি, নির্বাচনী, গ্রীন-হাইড্রোজেনের, হল, অবঃ, কণাগুলিতে, অণুগুলিতে, জানুয়ারী, ফেব্রুয়ারী, প্রস্থাব, মূলতঃ, অতিবেগুনী, শ্রেণী, রপ্তানী, K এর, পরিবর্তন সংক্রান্ত, পেশী, নেয়া এর, ধরণের, সংস্কার পূর্বক, জি-৭ এর, প্রোগ্রাম এর, এলগরিদম, প্লাটফর্ম, তিব্বতী, অডিও, ভিডিও, সংখ্যাগুলি, হ্যাণ্ডেল, শহীদ, আমদানী, কোষ গুলোকে, তৈরী, বেশী, কিনা, শূণ্য, কোনটিই, পেন্সিল, উৎপাদন ভিত্তিক, কিসের, দ্বন্দ, আপীল, ট্রাইবুনাল, সুপ্রীম, কাহিনী, খেলাপী, চুল্লীতে, পর্তুগীজ, ব্যাক্তিগত, গাড়ী।

Distorting Literature and History

The errors extended to the roots of Bengali heritage. The name of ভুসুকুপা (Bhusukupa), a major poet of the Charyapada, was written as ‘ভুসুরুপা’ (Bhusurupa). Furthermore, the name of the 'Polli Kobi' Jasimuddin was misspelled as ‘জসীমউদ্দীন’, showing significant negligence toward literature and history.

Outrage Among Candidates

A candidate who participated in the 50th BCS told The Daily Campus:

"I was stunned to see so many mistakes. Even the most common words were wrong. For an exam where we are tested on our knowledge of correct spelling, seeing the question paper itself full of errors is shameful."

PSC Chairman’s Response

When contacted regarding these errors, BPSC Chairman Professor Dr. Mobasser Monem told The Daily Campus:

"I haven't seen the question yet. What you are saying is a claim; we must see if the claim is right. I haven't heard this complaint before."

However, regarding the consistent use of 'ন' instead of 'ণ', he added: "According to the rules of Natwa-Bidhi, these words should use ণ. They should not have used ন. Extreme caution should have been exercised."